What We'll Find
by strs9
Summary: After happily being together for five years, Bella leaves Edward to follow her dreams. So what happens years later, when Bella is hired by the company Edward works at to redesign their new office building in New York? AH
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: Twilight belongs to Stephanie Meyer.**

**Thank you to EmilyMasen and AskTheMagic8Ball for all the help with this chapter!**

"_The follies which a man regrets most in his life are those which he didn't commit when he had the opportunity." - Helen Rowland_

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><p><em>December 2005<em>

"Bella?" Edward's voice echoed throughout our apartment. From our bedroom, I heard him set his keys on the counter. "Are you home?"

I remained silent as I sat at the foot of our bed, my hands clutching the letter I had received in the mail a few hours earlier informing me that my transfer to the New York School of Interior Design had been approved.

"Bella? Bel-" his voice stopped as he came into the room.

I quickly looked up, setting the letter beside me, to see him leaning easily against the doorway.

He nodded toward the letter I had just set down. "What's that?"

I swallowed. "This?" I lifted the letter.

He nodded.

"It's … mail," I finished lamely.

He quirked an eyebrow and smiled at me in amusement. "I can see that."

He put his hand out against the wall, balancing himself as he kicked off his shoes. "Is it something bad? Are we late on our phone bill again?"

"No, no," I assured him, letting the hand that was holding the letter fall back to my side. "It's nothing money related."

"Good," he said, clearly relieved. "I honestly don't think I could handle another overdue bill." He shrugged off his jacket and tossed it on the bed. "Or another overdue credit card payment." He sighed, wandering into the bathroom. "And I still refuse to ask my parents for any money," he said, raising his voice a little as he turned on the faucet. "I know money's tight right now, but we're going to make this work." I heard the water stop. "I promise."

"Edward," I said before he could say anything else. It was now or never.

"Yeah?" He poked his head out of the bathroom; his button-down shirt was now halfway undone, and his hair was slowly freeing from the hair gel he used every morning to tame his unruly locks.

"It's a letter from the New York School of Interior Design," I said.

His eyebrows rose in surprise. "That's great, Bella," he responded, his face breaking out into a large smile. "I _knew_ you were going to get some great attention with that student project you did last semester. What did they say?"

My throat tightened, knowing what I was going to say next would change my life as I knew it.

"Bella?" His face dropped a little, concerned, and he moved toward me.

"What's wrong?"

"They approved my transfer," I whispered, holding the letter out to him.

"Transfer?" His eyebrows furrowed as he stepped forward and grabbed the piece of paper from my hands. He gripped the edge of it, his eyes skimming over the letter. When he was done, he looked up at me, confusion and anger spreading over his face. "When did you apply for a transfer?"

"A few months ago," I answered.

"_When_?" he asked sharply.

I flinched at his tone. "In September."

He shook his head and turned away from me, his free hand twisting into his hair as his other hand threw the letter down onto the floor. "Why didn't you fucking tell me?" he shouted, whipping back around to face me.

I jumped at his sudden outburst. I opened my mouth to answer, but no sound came out.

There were a million answers to that question. Millions of answers, and millions of reasons why I had even applied for the transfer. But none I could make into words.

"Edward." I stood up and tried to move closer to him, but he took a few steps back.

"Are you going to go?" he snapped.

I inhaled deeply. "It's complicated."

"Don't give me that bullshit," he said harshly. "Are you going or not?"

"It's more complicated than just what I've decided to do, Edward," I begged, praying that he would understand. "Can we please just … talk about this?"

His jaw clenched, and his eyes squeezed shut, and when they opened moments later, they were softer, pleading. "Just tell me, Bella," he said slowly, enunciating each syllable. He then took a deep breath. "Are you leaving me?"

I felt tears sting my eyes, and I stepped forward and took his hand. "I have to go to New York," I whispered.

He stared at me. Anguish that matched my own filled his eyes, and with his free hand he reached up and brushed the tear away from my cheek.

"When are you leaving?"

"After finals," I said quietly.

His jaw clenched slightly. I wanted to ask him what he was thinking, but as he brought his hand back to my cheek, I stopped myself. I knew by the warmth of his hand and the way he was looking at me, this wasn't the time for questions or answers about the future.

I grabbed his hand as more tears spilled out of my eyes. "I love you," I said clearly, wanting him to know that my leaving had nothing to do with him.

He nodded as he brought me closer and wrapped his arms around me. I closed my eyes and inhaled his scent, a smell that couldn't be described as anything else but _Edward_. It was his very essence, and I had grown to love and take comfort in it. But now, as I took in his scent, all I could feel was a dull ache in my chest.

I slowly lifted my eyes and looked up at the man who was both my first love and best friend. We had gone through so much together, relied on each other, lived and breathed for each other. And although we still had so much to talk about before I left, all I could think of as his hand stroked my tear-stained cheek was feeling him and the way he made me feel, for at least one more time.

I tilted my face up and brought my lips to his, closing my eyes to relish in the feel of his soft lips against mine as he kissed me back. "I love you," I whispered, wanting to repeat the phrase as much as I could before any final decisions of our future were made.

He brought his other hand up and cupped the back of my neck, bringing me even closer to him and intensifying the kiss. I breathed him in again, my hand winding up his neck and into his hair.

He moaned against my lips, lifting my shirt up a little and gripping my bare waist, a gesture that had always made me squirm. Generally, the action would make me wiggle away from his grasp, and he would smile and laugh and grab onto me again, pulling me back to him. But this time, I savored the feel of his large hand against the ticklish part of my stomach instead, and I brought him closer to me.

As his tongue swept along my bottom lip, I gripped him tighter, and he tore his lips from mine and peppered kisses along my jaw and neck as he backed me onto the bed, catching himself so he wouldn't fall on top of me. I moved, pulling him with me, so that we were situated more comfortably.

He brought his lips back to mine for a brief minute before lifting my shirt up over my head and tossing it over on the side of the bed. He moved down my body, planting open-mouthed kisses on my stomach, as he unbuttoned my jeans and slid them off my legs.

I pulled him closer to me, undoing the rest of his buttons before pulling the shirt off his shoulders.

His hands found their way back to my face and neck, and he kissed me intensely, bringing me deeper and deeper into a world where only we existed.

And as we made love, our touches weren't filled with raw passion or need. It was simply him and me, savoring every moment we had with the other before facing our unknown future.

And as I was overtaken with waves of pleasure, I clutched him to me and closed my eyes, desperate to hold on to him for just another moment, to hold on to the past I was comfortable and familiar with. Every touch, every second I memorized. And as we fell asleep in each other's arms, I was overcome with a sense of calm and happiness, for the future would come when the future came. But now, at this very moment in time as I held Edward, everything was perfect.

And the future did indeed come, hours later, when I awoke in darkness and found myself alone.

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><p><strong>AN: I hope you all enjoyed (even though it was quite angsty.) I'm really excited about this, as it's my first Twilight, full-length fanfiction. And not to worry, all the questions will be answered. Thank you so much for reading and please leave a review! They are _always_appreciated.**

3/09/2012 EDITED, thank you so much Project Team Beta :)


	2. Chapter 1

**A/N: Thanks so much for the reviews! I truly love hearing what everyone is thinking.**

**Thanks to my wonderful pre-reader EmilyMasen and my fantastic beta AskTheMagic8Ball. I couldn't do this without the two of you!**

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

"_And remember, no matter where you go, there you are." – Confucius_

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><p><em>Present Day<em>

The offices of Caldwell Communications were even drearier than I had expected. With gray ceilings and grungy tiles, its gloomy atmosphere stilled the air, casting out any trace of the successful company I knew Caldwell Communications to be. The lobby was barren – the few pieces of furniture that occupied the space were out-of-date and frankly, just boring.

The key to the interior design of any commercial building was to create an environment that reflected the company. And if the present interior design said anything about Caldwell Communications, it was that the company was a soul-sucking, _1984_-esque, totalitarian death trap.

The current setting of the new branch of Caldwell Communications was the reason why the West Coast-based company had decided to completely remodel their first branch on the East Coast. Caldwell Communications had entered into a $15 million dollar contract with Alainn Designs, the interior design firm I worked for.

I had been made project manager of the redesign, a huge honor, as the project was one of the biggest the firm had ever received.

I was sitting in a conference room on one of the top floors of Caldwell Communications. Blue prints and building codes were spread out across the table in front of me. I was taking notes on my laptop for possible structural changes when my phone beeped, breaking my concentration.

I slid the phone closer to me, checking the caller ID. _Alice_.

I quickly saved the document I had been working on and pressed the talk button. "Hello?"

"Bella!" Alice's cheery voice echoed in my ear. "Where are you?"

"It's two o'clock in the afternoon," I said, nestling the phone between my shoulder and my ear as I reached for the manila folder beside my laptop to check if I had all the square footage measurements correct in my notes.

She laughed. "So, you're at work?"

"Yep," I said, taking the phone into my hand and searching my computer files for the lobby floor plans. "What are you doing?"

"I'm at the gallery," she responded, referring to the art gallery where she worked. "Jane just hung a painting above the front desk of this giant naked peach."

I stopped scrolling. "What?"

"It's not something I can describe. You'll have to see it," she said quickly. "I was wondering, do you think you'll be home by six?" she asked.

I frowned at the hopeful tone in her voice. "Why?"

"Well," she said, dragging out the word. "I kind of met the perfect guy for you, and I told him you'd meet him for drinks!" she finished excitedly.

I turned my attention away from my computer and to what Alice was saying. It was impossible to multi-task when talking to her. "No way, Alice," I said firmly. "Do you remember the last guy you set me up with because he was perfect for me? He sold pornographic t-shirts for a living!"

"Come on," she said. "Besides that tiny detail, he was perfect for you!"

I scoffed. "That was _not_ a tiny detail."

"Well, no matter," she said airily, brushing off the failure of her last set-up. "This guy teaches kindergarten, and he's really cute!"

"I'm just not looking for a relationship right now."

"But you _always_say that!"

"That's because it's always true," I said. "You know my career is the number one thing in my life right now."

"But-"

"Alice," I cut her off. "I'll tell you what. Once I'm made senior partner at the firm, you can set me up with whomever you want."

She paused. "Do you promise?"

"Yes," I responded, knowing that it would only be a matter of weeks before she was setting me up with men again. But at least it would keep her off my back for a while.

"Fine," she huffed. "I guess I'll have to cancel on this perfectly adorable guy tonight then."

"I guess so," I said with a smile, partly because I had successfully avoided one of Alice's countless set-ups and partly because I knew Alice had good intentions.

"I'll see you when you get home then," she said. "Don't work too late!"

Alice was always the light-hearted best friend compared to our other roommate Rosalie, a third-year law school student who hoped to become a family lawyer after she passed the bar. Alice always thought that both Rose and I worked too hard and lived too little.

"I'll be home by seven," I said.

"I'll pay for pizza if you're home by six."

I smiled. I couldn't deny the girl knew her audience. "I'll be there," I said and clicked off the phone.

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><p>I had moved in with Alice and Rosalie when I first arrived in New York six years ago. I had finished college with a Bachelor of Fine Arts and had gone on to receive all the accreditation requirements to become an interior designer. I was hired by Siobhan Kennedy, the owner of Alainn Designs, a few months after my graduation and had worked my way up to senior designer in four short years.<p>

I hoped to be made a senior partner before my 30th birthday, and I knew if I did well on the Caldwell Communications project, I would be another step closer to that dream. And dreams needed hard work as much as talent to become a reality. So when I arrived home at six o'clock that evening as promised, I whipped out my laptop and reviewed my work for the day.

"Come on, guys," Alice moaned as she watched Rose pull out a large textbook from her bag and settle down on the couch beside me. "This isn't what I meant when I said to be home at six."

"I just need thirty minutes," I promised.

Alice sighed loudly and stomped to her room, slamming the door behind her. In our relationship, Alice was the neglected wife, Rose and I, the workaholic husband.

I relaxed on the couch beside Rose, knowing Alice would come out when the pizza she had ordered arrived and yank our laptops and textbooks away, locking them in her bedroom until she felt we had an adequate amount of fun.

After fifteen minutes had passed, my laptop chimed, indicating I had just received an email. Opening the email window, my breath caught when I saw the name of the sender.

Jasper Whitlock.

I stared at the name, unable to move. I hadn't seen or spoken to him since I'd left Washington. One of my best friends back in high school and the beginning of college, Jasper and I parted on good terms, but I hadn't heard from him in years. Why was he emailing me?

Rose glanced at me. "Everything okay?"

I cleared my throat and quickly shut my laptop. "Yeah."

She squinted, searching my face. "You sure?"

With Rose's astute perceptiveness and Alice's resolute doggedness, it was impossible to keep any of my feelings and personal thoughts to myself. Typically, I didn't mind sharing my thoughts with my friends since they were always supportive, but this was different. I didn't want to talk about a past that I had fought so hard to forget and move forward from.

"Yep." I pushed a smile onto my face. "Everything is perfect."

She stared at me for a moment longer, her blue eyes boring into mine, and I prayed that she would just let it go. "Fine," she said, turning back to her textbook.

I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew that she wasn't convinced everything was fine, but Rose generally respected the boundaries I put up in certain areas of my life.

With Rose's attention off me, I thought back to the last time I saw Jasper. He and my other best friend at the time, Tanya, had come to the airport with my father to see me off. We were at the security checkpoint, and I had finished saying my goodbyes to my father and Tanya, and turned to Jasper to hug him and tell him how much I would miss him. He had pulled me into a tight hug and whispered into my ear, "I hope you find everything you're looking for, Isabella Swan."

I remembered holding back tears as I hugged him back tightly.

I was thinking about the email when the doorbell rang five minutes later. It would have been simple enough to just open the laptop and read the damn thing, but somehow I couldn't bring myself to move.

Alice came bounding out the door of her bedroom. "Put your laptops and books away!" she demanded as she made a beeline for the door, wallet in hand. Rose sighed as she marked her page and set the book down on the table in front of her. I put my laptop down beside her book and stood up, doing my best to push all thoughts of Jasper Whitlock and my past aside.

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><p>A large pizza, garlic bread, and several episodes of <em>True Blood<em> later, I was slumped against the back of the couch. For the last few hours, I had tried to focus on anything else besides the email, but I couldn't. And if watching the Vampire King of Mississippi rip someone's spine out of his body on national television wasn't getting my mind off Jasper, nothing would.

I sighed and brought my attention back to Rose and Alice.

"Please," Rose was saying as she rolled her eyes dramatically. "Sexy Swedish vampire wins _every time_."

"Eric is an _asshole_!" Alice immediately returned. "Bill, at least, is a gentleman."

"Gentleman my ass," Rose scoffed. "A cheating, lying, self-loathing scumbag more like it."

Rose and I had chipped in to buy Alice the first few seasons of _True Blood_ on DVD for her birthday a few weeks ago (a present both for her and for us.) At the time, I thought it was a great present, but now that each episode had been watched at least three times, the ongoing debate over who was better, Eric or Bill, was gradually getting more and more heated.

Although their yelling provided a good distraction from the email that was still sitting unopened in my inbox, I found it was better to get out of these arguments before they got too personal, and with the shade of red Alice was turning, it was almost to that point.

"I'm going to bed," I announced. Rose and Alice paused their arguing and looked up at me.

"It's only eleven," Alice said, looking at her watch and then back up at me.

"Yeah, I'm kind of tired," I said. "Long day and all."

Rose stared at me, no doubt trying to find out what I was thinking. I looked away from her.

"Well, good night then," said Alice.

"Night," I said. I picked up my laptop, avoiding Rose's gaze, and quickly walked to my bedroom, shutting the door behind me. I settled onto my bed, flipping the screen of the laptop up as Rose and Alice picked up their argument from where they had left it.

I opened up the window for my email and bit my lip, hovering my cursor over Jasper's name. I took a deep breath and clicked on it.

_Bella,_

_I hope you're doing well. I have no idea if you're still using this email and your old cell phone isn't working anymore, but I thought you would want to know that Edward and I are moving to New York!_

What? My eyebrows knit together as I leaned forward and continued reading.

_Our company is opening a new branch in New York City, and after we're done taking care of some stuff in Los Angeles, we'll be joining it as executives. I hope you're doing well, and I hope to see you soon!_

_Jasper_

I stared at the message in shock. Jasper and Edward in New York? I frowned.

My past had always been on the other side of the country, completely separate from my current life. The thought of the two coming together was just … wrong, as if the moon decided to move across space and situate itself next to the sun. Things that were supposed to be in one place shouldn't be allowed to just up and move because they wanted to.

It was all completely and terribly wrong. I slammed the computer screen shut and stared at the closed lid.

Honestly, it would be great to see Jasper again after all these years, but Edward? I couldn't see him, not with the way…

I shook my head firmly. No, I had promised myself I wouldn't let my thoughts go there.

I sighed and put my laptop on the night table beside my bed. I looked around and found a cardigan that was lying on the foot of my bed. I quickly reached over to pick it up, and I placed it over my laptop.

There. I smiled a little to myself. Out of sight, out of mind.

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><p>It had been almost two weeks since I had received the email from Jasper. I had decided not to respond to him. I would cross that bridge when I came to it. After all, what were the chances of even seeing Jasper or Edward in a city the size of Manhattan?<p>

Instead, I did what I did best: I focused on my work. In the two short weeks that had passed, a lot of progress had been made on the building.

When I arrived at the offices that morning, I went up to the top floor where most of the executive offices were located and knocked on Garrett Caldwell's office door. Today the architect Caldwell Communications had hired for some structural changes was supposed to be meeting me for the first time.

I peered in through the glass that covered the length of his office door. Garrett was leaning back easily in his desk chair, speaking into his office phone. He looked up when I knocked and shot me a smile, motioning for me to come in.

Even though I knew little about Garrett, I liked him and his jovial manner. I had only worked with him for a short while, but he was different from the other executives I had worked with in New York. He took the time to learn and understand the way I worked, and he encouraged me to voice my opinions, something I appreciated.

I quietly turned the doorknob and stepped into his office, not wanting to disturb his phone conversation.

"… glad to hear that you arrived safely," he was saying into the phone.

"Yes, your living arrangements should all be set. Will you be making it to the office today?"

He paused, listening to the other end of the phone. "You're downstairs?" His eyebrows rose. "Well, feel free to come on up. Top floor." He nodded before saying goodbye. As he put the phone back in its cradle, he turned to me, a kind smile spreading across his face.

"Sorry about that." he gestured to the phone. "Two executives from the L.A. branch are relocating to this office, and they landed about two hours ago."

"No problem," I said.

"Have a seat," he said, motioning for me to take the chair across from his desk.

I quickly sat down. As I set my briefcase on the floor beside my feet, the door behind me swung open, and a deep voice filled my ears.

"Sorry I'm late," the voice said as its owner stepped into the room. I looked up to see Emmett McCarty, an architect whom I had worked with on previous projects. "Hi, Bella," he said, smiling at me as he took the seat next to me. "Good to see you again."

"You two know each other?" asked Garrett.

I nodded. "We've worked together a few times in the past."

"That's great," said Garrett. "Well then, no introductions are really needed."

"No, I think we're good," I said, turning to smile at Emmett. Emmett had always been fun to work with. He was a talented architect, but he also had a good sense of humor.

"I think Bella already has an idea of what she wants to do with the structural changes," said Garrett. "So I'll leave you two to it."

I nodded and stood up, taking my briefcase with me.

"Feel free to use the conference room you've been working in, Bella," said Garrett kindly, also standing up to open the door for us.

"Ladies first." Emmett held his hand out, and I blushed as I stepped in front of him. "Thanks, Mr. Caldwell," said Emmett as he stepped out of the office.

"As I've told you before, call me Garrett," he replied. "I insist."

Emmett nodded politely and ducked out of the door behind me. After Garrett closed the door behind us, Emmett turned to me. "Is he always that nice?"

I chuckled. "Yes."

"Hmmm… a nice boss," he mused. "This should be interesting."

I smiled and walked alongside him as we went to the elevators.

"So, if I remember anything about working with you, you have a huge, long list of overly-specific ideas already, right?"

"You definitely remember right," I replied. "And also, you should remember from last time that I don't compromise when it comes to ideas."

He chuckled. "Oh, believe me. There's nothing to compromise when working with you, since your ideas are already pretty much perfect."

I blushed, secretly enjoying the compliment.

When we had reached the elevators, I pressed the down button.

"So, what have you been up to lately?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Nothing much. The usual: work." I looked up as the elevator dinged, indicating it had arrived. I opened my mouth to ask him the same question, but as the elevator's doors slid open, a sliver of honey-blond hair and the sound of an all too familiar voice filled my ears, causing my mouth to clamp shut in shock.

There, in the elevator, stood Jasper Whitlock, frozen and staring at me in astonishment, and beside him was Edward Cullen.

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading! Let me know what you think.<strong>

**And I've gotta know: Bill or Eric? Apart from Edward of course ;)**

3/14/2012 EDITED, Thank you so much Project Team Beta!


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and/or added me to their story alert! It's really wonderful getting positive feedback, and I hope you all enjoy this next chapter.**

**Also, thank you to my awesome pre-reader EmilyMasen and the oh so wonderful AskTheMagic8Ball. You guys are seriously my saviors. **

**Now, on with the story!**

Chapter 2

"_All our best man are laughed at in this nightmare land." – Jack Kerouac_

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><p><em>Present Day, August 2011<em>

_EPOV_

_She laughed harshly, a gritty unsettling sound. "What? You thought I'd stay with _you_ forever?" _

_Panic tore at my chest as I struggled to respond._

"_Grow up, Edward, and face reality," she spat. "I'm leaving you."_

I woke with a start, breathless and drenched in sweat.

Jasper glanced over from beside me, his eyebrows furrowed. "You okay?"

I took a deep breath, struggling to regain control of my breathing. I turned to him, pushing down the pure terror that was filling my chest, as I straightened in my airplane seat. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" he asked. "Because that didn't look-"

I cut him off. "Really, Jazz, I'm fine."

He continued to stare at me, concerned. I sighed and turned my head away from him to look out the airplane window. The only way to get rid of him was to pretend nothing was wrong.

The nightmares had stopped about a year after she – Bella – left. However, when the news came that Caldwell Communications was relocating Jasper and me to New York, they slowly began to come back. They were vague at first, but as each night passed the nightmares grew more and more vivid.

Now, they were as clear as they were when they first started. The pain that ripped through my chest and the all-too realistic nature of them never failed to quake me to my very core.

I ran a hand through my hair. I knew that just because I was moving to New York, it didn't mean I would see her. After all, Manhattan _was_ home to over 1.5 million people. But that certainly didn't keep me from dreading the thought of seeing her again.

_Good afternoon, folks._

The pilot's voice came across the intercom, bringing me out of my thoughts.

_We have begun our descent to Newark, where the current weather is 83 degrees Fahrenheit. We will be in the gate in about twenty minutes. We'd like the flight attendants to prepare the cabin for arrival, and we want to thank you for flying with us today. _

I took a deep breath as the plane began to descend.

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><p>Three hours later, Jasper and I were sitting in the limo the company had sent to pick us up from the airport.<p>

"I don't understand why we couldn't check out the apartments Caldwell rented for us first," Jasper grumbled from beside me. "I was just sitting in a plane for six hours, I don't want to be going to work."

"The offices are on the way to the apartment building," I replied. "We'll just make a quick stop."

"Fine," he said, following it with a loud sigh to let me know he didn't approve of the plan.

"Caldwell Communications," the driver said from the front seat as the car slowed to a stop. I glanced out the window to see a large, gray office building in the middle of the block.

Jasper leaned forward to speak to the driver. "Don't go too far away. We'll be back in fifteen minutes. Tops."

The driver nodded and handed Jasper his business card. "Just call my cell when you're ready for me to swing around the front."

Jasper gratefully accepted the card and slipped it into his jacket pocket. He motioned for me to go out the door. "C'mon, let's make this quick. Go in, see the building, say 'hi' to Garrett, then it's goodbye. Got it?"

I rolled my eyes as I opened the door. "Whatever you say."

Jasper hopped out of the car behind me, slamming the door after him.

As we entered the building, I looked around in surprise. Although the new branch had brought in a decent number of clients, the building looked almost deserted except for a few employees who were walking around the lobby.

I had heard the new building was in need of some major interior design work, but this was just ridiculous. I hoped Garrett had already hired an interior design firm to fix the place.

My cell phone rang, disrupting the silence of the lobby. I reached into my pocket and glanced at the screen to see Garrett's name flash across it.

"Hello?" I asked, bringing the phone up to my ear.

"Edward! How was the flight?" asked Garrett. He had always been one of those happy-go-lucky types, but his happy personality was paired with a silent confidence and a sharp business acumen that I admired.

"It was fine," I replied. "Thanks."

"Good. Well I'm glad to hear that you arrived safely."

Jasper poked my arm. "Check if our apartments are ready." I batted his hand away and relayed the question to Garrett.

"Yes, your living arrangements should all be set. Will you be making it to the office today?"

"We're actually downstairs," I said.

"You're downstairs?"

"Yeah, we just walked in the building."

"Well, feel free to come on up," he said. "Top floor."

"I'll see you soon," I said, hanging up the phone after we said our goodbyes. "Come on." I turned to Jasper as I spotted the elevators. "Top floor."

As we stepped into the elevators, Jasper began to speak. "What should we do for dinner tonight?" he asked.

I shrugged. "You can decide." I reached over and pressed the button for the top floor.

"Do you know anyone in the city?" he asked. "Maybe they'll have suggestions."

"Maybe," I replied absentmindedly, watching the panel at the top of the elevator that indicated which floors we were passing.

"Aren't you at least a little bit interested in what we're going to have for dinner?" he asked as the elevator dinged, indicating we had reached our destination. "It is our first night…" his words died on his lips as the doors slid open.

And there, standing on the other side of the doors, was the last person I ever wanted to see.

Bella Swan stared at Jasper and me, her eyes wide with shock.

The three of us were frozen, none of us able to move. Beside her stood a huge bear of a man. I was sure he was looking at the three of us in utter confusion, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from her face to check.

She was just as beautiful as I remembered. More so, even. Her hair was longer than the way she'd kept it throughout high school and college, and her skin was slightly darker than the fair, pale skin she'd had back in Forks.

There was something else though, something entirely new about her I couldn't quite place. Whatever it was, it captivated me, and I was tempted to step closer to her.

The elevator suddenly began to close, interrupting my thoughts, and the large guy standing beside Bella shot his arm out to keep the doors from closing.

I quickly shook my head, trying to clear my mind. What the hell was I doing? This was _Bella_: the girl who I hated for leaving. The girl who had taken my heart and then threw it back in my face when she left. I had felt nothing but sadness, and the only way I was able to fill the void was to fill it with loathing for her.

"Bella," said Jasper as he stepped out of the elevator and enveloped her in a hug.

She blinked, turning her gaze away from me and to Jasper. Her face broke out into a smile as she hugged him back. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

"One of our West coast clients who also have a branch in New York entered a contract with this location, and we both just got transferred to head up the project and help get the new office up and running," Jasper replied as he pulled away. I stepped out of the elevator, taking a place beside Jasper. "What are _you_ doing here?" he asked.

"I'm the interior designer for the building," she replied, glancing at me.

I frowned. This building?

"I'm Emmett." The big guy who was standing beside Bella stepped forward, smiling. "I'm the architect."

I glared at the way he towered over us as we shook hands. Who the hell did the guy think he was?

"So I'm assuming you all know each other?" asked Emmett.

"We actually go way back with Bella," said Jasper, slapping Bella on the back. She looked a little surprised from the impact at first, but after gathering her bearings she turned to glare at Jasper, who didn't seem to notice. I would have thought it was amusing if I wasn't so busy focusing on being mad her. "High school and college."

"Really?" Emmett's eyebrows rose in surprise.

"Actually," I cut in before my brain could stop me. "It was all throughout high school and the first two years of college. She left us halfway through." I couldn't help but notice the bitterness in my tone.

Jasper looked at me in surprise.

"Just stating the facts," I said to him without blinking an eye.

"Edward," Jasper said, no doubt trying to stop me from saying anything I might regret. But the tightening in my chest had already taken hold of my mouth and wasn't letting go.

"What?" I asked. "Did I say something wrong?"

Bella stared at me, her eyes wide. There was once a time when I could look into her eyes and know everything she was thinking, but now, after all these years, any familiarity I had with her eyes was gone and replaced with something completely foreign to me, and I realized I had no idea who she was anymore.

I knit my eyebrows slightly at that thought, but I shook it off quickly.

"What is your problem?" she hissed, her face taking on an expression I could identify.

"My _problem_?" I asked, already feeling anger start to bubble in my chest. "My problem is the girlfriend who left me six years ago is standing right in front of me and just told me that she's fucking _working_ at my place of work!" I would have been annoyed at my in-eloquence, but I couldn't bring myself to care at the moment.

"I left you," she scoffed. "That's rich, considering that _you_ were the one who left me without even having the decency to talk to me."

"What was there to talk about? You had already made your decision!"

"That doesn't mean—"

Garrett's voice came from behind us. "Is everything okay out here?"

Bella's mouth closed, but her eyes continued to burn holes in mine as he approached. Garrett tentatively looked around at the four of us, obviously sensing the tension in the air.

It was the Sasquatch that broke the silence. "Bella and I should really be going."

Bella tore her eyes away from me and nodded to Emmett. "It was nice seeing you, Jasper," she said to him, avoiding my gaze as she turned around and pressed the down button.

The elevator doors opened immediately and she walked inside behind Emmett. I looked away as she disappeared behind the doors.

* * *

><p>"Sir," I began, "I honestly think the best idea would be to find someone else. There has to be another interior designer in the city better than her."<p>

I ignored Jasper who was sitting beside me, knowing he was probably glaring at me right now. I knew I was being childish, but I was going to do everything I could to get myself out of this disaster of a situation.

Garrett sighed. "I can't do that, Edward. We already signed a contract with her firm, and we told her boss we wanted the best interior designer to be leading the project, and we were given Bella."

I was silent.

"She's the best, I assure you," he said. "You two will just have to find a way to make it work."

"What about the Los Angeles branch?" I blurted.

He looked at me, his eyebrow furrowed. "What about it?"

"Could I go back to the LA branch?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Edward," said Garrett, his tone slightly more callous. "We spent thousands of dollars for your relocation. You're not going back to LA."

"Please," I said.

"Your history with Bella _cannot_ be that bad," he said. "You can't go back to LA. There aren't any openings anyway even if I agreed."

I leaned back in my seat, defeated.

"Look," said Garrett. "The project is going to last six months, and then she'll be gone, and you'll have your entire future in front of you. I don't want to know what happened between you two and I certainly don't want to put you in a situation you're uncomfortable with, but I'm not firing Bella, so you need to work things out the best you can for the time being with her. Do you think you can do that?"

I ran a hand through my hair. Six months of Bella Swan? This was a fucking nightmare. But I knew from Garrett's tone of voice there was only one answer to that question.

"Yeah, I can do that," I conceded.

"Good." Garrett nodded. "That's settled then. I suggest you both go see your apartments and get some rest before your first day tomorrow."

I nodded and stood as I left Garrett's office, Jasper following a few steps behind.

Six months of Bella Swan. I laughed bitterly as I walked toward the elevator. Fucking perfect.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Some background on Edward! Believe me, he is an extremely complicated character (which also makes him extremely difficult and fun to write), and we'll find out a lot more about him in his next chapter (the next chapter will be Bella's POV, then back to Edward).**

**Hope you all enjoyed, and please leave a review! I love to know what you're thinking!**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for the later than usual update! I hit a bit of a roadblock, but thankfully I made it through. And wow. The response for this story since the last chapter has been absolutely amazing. Your support means so much to me. Now, however, the pressure is officially on. O_O**

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><p>Chapter 3<p>

"_True friends stab you in the front." – Oscar Wilde_

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><p><em>BPOV<em>

I wanted to rip his fucking head off. Where did he get off speaking to me that way?

I felt the urge to punch the wall, to do _something_ to show just how angry I felt. But I remained still, my hands balled up into fists as I counted to ten in my head to calm my nerves.

"You know," Emmett's voice disrupted my counting. "You can scream or … punch me if you want. I wouldn't mind."

"Excuse me?" I turned to him.

"To let your anger out," he explained.

I narrowed my eyes. "You wouldn't mind if I punched you right now?"

He shrugged. "I don't feel much pain."

I stared, unsure whether to roll my eyes at the pure cockiness of his statement or to chuckle at the goofy grin that had spread across his face.

"Really." He straightened and spread his arms apart. "Take a hit. Just nothing cruel – like below the belt or above the neck."

I shook my head. "Put your arms down." I smiled. "I'm not going to punch you."

"You sure?" he asked, dropping his arms to his sides. "It would make you feel better."

"It's okay," I said. "But thanks for the offer."

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

I looked away from him. "No, not particularly."

"Bella," he said as if he'd been saying my name his entire life, like he knew me. "Just a second ago I thought your little head was about to explode. Now you can either hit me or talk about it. It's not healthy bottling up whatever just happened."

I typically hated it when people acted like they knew me when they didn't, but something about Emmett's affable personality made me not care he was treading in waters I would rather others avoid.

"I don't get a third option?" I asked.

Emmett thought for a second. "I guess you could scream like I suggested before, but we're in an elevator and people might hear."

I smiled as I turned to the elevator doors as they opened. "Well, then I'll have to make do with just keeping my feelings to myself like a normal person."

I stepped out of the elevator and made my way down the hall toward the conference room.

Emmett was at my heels. "Let me guess, at least. Ex-boyfriend? Terrible relationship?"

I ignored him as I opened the door to the conference room and held it open for Emmett to walk inside.

"Ladies first," he said, putting a hand on the door above my head, as he had just a few minutes ago. I blushed again as I walked inside, a habit of mine when someone held the door for me.

When I first moved to New York I declared myself completely independent. I refused to let anyone do things for me I could do myself. However, for some reason, when it came to people opening doors for me, I was still the timid 15-year old girl who blushed every two seconds.

"Really, who was that guy?" Emmett prodded.

Maybe the reason why I didn't have an urge to kick his ass was not his personality but the blaring fact that I was full foot shorter than him and a great deal smaller. Whatever it was, I found myself responding. "Ex-boyfriend. Not a terrible relationship. More like bad break-up," I said, and then corrected myself. "A horrible break-up."

He took a seat beside me. "That's always rough."

"You can say that again."

He nodded. "So," he said, clapping his hands together, "hit me."

I furrowed my eyebrows. "Didn't we do this already?"

He smiled. "No, I meant hit me with your ideas."

"Oh," I said, grinning back. I walked to the corner of the conference room where I was keeping the canister that held the blueprints. As I unrolled the blueprints I talked about the project. "After I finish my notes and we have an idea of where we're going, the firm is going to send about four other designers to help finish up the project."

He nodded. "What are your ideas so far?" he asked, positioning himself over the blueprints.

For the next few minutes, I walked him through the plans I had so far for the lobby.

After studying the building for the past three weeks, I knew that Caldwell Communications had great potential to be one of the best office buildings in Manhattan. The more I learned about the building, the more I realized what a great project it was – a portion of the lobby had high ceilings reaching to the fourth floor, we had plenty of space to work with (100,000 square feet spread over 20 floors), and the floor plan was actually quite genius when it was actually studied. My guess was whoever owned the building before Caldwell had spent so much money and energy on the actual building, the interior design of the building was sacrificed.

"Caldwell's name speaks for itself already. It developed a reputation in Los Angeles and the West Coast for placing equal importance on internal teamwork and individual clients, and they want to reflect that in these offices," I said. "That means the most important thing is the flexibility of the building. Everything should be multifunctional – we'll want private spaces and open spaces, places where people can convene, places to hold private meetings."

Emmett nodded. "Lots of opening walls and closing spaces."

"Exactly," I said. "The trick is to know which walls to open and which spaces to close. The original design of the building is actually quite fantastic." I pulled out the floor plan to one of the middle-level employee offices. "See all of this?" I asked, pointing to the areas I was talking about. "Maximum efficiency, lots of room yet lots of privacy. We're goi-"

A sharp rap on the glass surrounding the conference room interrupted me, making Emmett and me jump. I turned around to see Jasper standing at the door.

He poked his head in. "Can I talk to you for a minute, Bella?"

I stared at Jasper for a moment and then turned to Emmett. "Would you excuse me for a minute?"

"By all means." His eyebrows rose and he smirked.

My forehead crinkled at his response. What was that supposed to mean?

I debated whether I should say something back, but I knew from previous experience Emmett was the kind of person who thought what he wanted to think, regardless of what anyone said.

I put the pen I was using down on the table and walked out the conference room, closing the door behind me.

"I'm sorry about what happened upstairs," Jasper said when I turned to face him. "The relocation has had both of us on edge, and you know Edward, sometimes his emotions just take over and he says things without thinking."

I looked at my old friend and smiled a little. Apart from the tailored suit he wore, he hadn't changed much, and it was nice to feel as if I still knew him, even if I didn't.

He straightened and narrowed his eyes at me. "What?"

I shrugged. "It's just… it's nice to see you haven't changed much."

"What do you mean?"

"This is exactly what you would have done six years ago. In fact, it's exactly what you did six years ago," I said. "You're always fixing and apologizing for things you aren't responsible for. I love you for it, but it isn't necessary."

He nodded slowly. "I know, but it doesn't mean I'm not sorry for what he said."

I smiled a little, reminded of Jasper's quiet wisdom. He always did what he thought was best, and I had always admired him for it. "Thanks," I said quietly.

He smiled back for a second and then said, "Why don't you have dinner with us tonight?"

I tucked my hair behind my ear and furrowed my brow. "With you and Edward?"

"I know what you're thinking," he said, "but for the sake of both of your jobs, I think it would be a good idea."

Six years ago, one look into Jasper's eyes, and I would do anything he said – within reason, of course. But things were different now.

When I left, I told myself if I was going to follow my dreams and truly find myself I couldn't half-ass it. And that meant that I had to become my own person. I soon realized that in order to become independent and self-reliant I had to listen to what I wanted instead of doing what everyone else wanted me to do, something the old me constantly did.

"I don't think I'm ready," I said finally. "I haven't fully wrapped my mind around the fact you're both here, in the same building as I am. I need some time."

Jasper searched my face and nodded. "I understand," he said.

"Thanks," I said. "And thanks for coming down here to see me. What happened upstairs wasn't exactly the most pleasant reunion."

"Yeah." He nodded. "But it's really fantastic seeing you again, Bella. I've really missed you."

"Me too," I said honestly. "Maybe we can have dinner some other time – me and you."

He smiled. "That sounds perfect," he said. "Then, I'll see you around?"

"Yeah," I replied. "I'll see you around."

He nodded and began walking away. He had only taken few steps before stopping and facing me again. "You've changed," he said, not meanly or judgmentally but simply, as if he was stating a fact.

He didn't say anything else; he just shot me one last smile before turning and walking down the hall toward the elevators.

* * *

><p>"He works there?" Rose asked, shocked.<p>

I nodded. "Yeah."

"Are you still going to go through with the job?" Alice asked.

"Of course," I responded. The thought of turning the job down now that I knew Edward was working there hadn't even crossed my mind.

"Really?" she asked. "Even after all you've gone through with him?"

"Of course she's still going to take the job," said Rose quickly. I turned to her as she continued to speak. "We saw how hard you worked through school and when you were hired at Alainn Designs." She looked at me, and said firmly, "You didn't let Edward get in your way then, and you certainly can't let him get in your way now. Right?"

I smiled. "Right."

"And seeing Edward again was inevitable," Rose continued.

"What?" The smile dropped off my face.

"It was inevitable," she said. "He was your first love, and you never got closure with your relationship. You had to meet again at some point to get that closure."

Alice gasped, as if she had just reached an epiphany. "Rose is completely right!"

"No she isn't." I shook my head firmly. "I _got_ closure."

"No you didn't! That's why you haven't been able to even look at a guy for six years. You still have feelings for Edward," Alice said as if she were finally able to put all the puzzle pieces of my confusing love life together.

"That is completely ridiculous!" I retorted. "First, I've had several relationships in the years I've known you, and I absolutely do not have feelings for Edward. Not after what he did to me. The fact that he basically ran out on me after I told him I was moving was closure enough."

"Oh really?" Rose raised an eyebrow. "From what I remember, when you first moved to the city, you tried for about three months to get in contact with him, and then you learned he moved in on your best friend at the time and they were happy together. After that, you never talked or even mentioned him since. That's not closure, Bella."

Even though she raised some good points, I refused to listen to her. Even though it was my decision to leave, the way he treated me after I told him I was moving to New York was all I needed to know to forget about him and get all the closure I needed.

Alice furrowed her eyebrows, no doubt worried about my silence, and shifted in her seat, bringing her right arm to rest on the back of the couch we were all sitting on. "Are you going to talk to him?"

"I don't know. I don't want to especially if he's going to act the way he did this morning," I said. "But I think I have to."

"Yeah," Alice agreed softly.

"What do you think you'll say?" asked Rose.

I thought about it. "I don't know. It's been six years since I've even spoken to him, and he was such a huge part of my life before. There's a lot between us. After the way he spoke to me this morning, I want to hate him, and in a way, I do. But that's not…all I feel. There's a lot to it." I finished quickly, realizing I was rambling.

Alice and Rose, from either side of me, enveloped me in a hug. "Whatever you say or do, we'll always be here," said Alice encouragingly.

I smiled and wrapped my arms around them. "Thanks," I said gratefully.

* * *

><p>When I woke up the next morning I was resolved on speaking to Edward. I knew that if we were going to be working together, we would have to find some kind of middle ground.<p>

I stared at my reflection in the metal of the elevator as I straightened my shoulders. I moved to push the up button, but I stopped as a familiar voice filled my ears.

"Jasper, for the last time, I have no idea where to get tickets for Billy Elliott. I know the city no more than you do."

My body tensed. Edward. I looked around frantically, hoping to find some kind of potted vegetation I could hide behind, but I saw nothing. I silently cursed, making a mental note to add some good hiding places in the lobby into the interior design.

"I knocked on your door before I left but you didn't answer." His voice was getting closer. I guessed he maybe had another few feet before turning the corner and seeing me. "Okay, okay. I'll wait for you next time before I leave. See you soon."

I braced myself as I heard him turn the corner. His footsteps stopped abruptly, and I felt every muscle in my body clench. I silently berated myself for being such a wuss before I finally took a deep breath and turned around.

Edward stood motionless, his hand still holding his phone to his ear. After a brief moment, he suddenly cleared his throat as he pocketed his cell phone, and he took a few steps toward me.

God, he looked better than I remembered. The shock of seeing him yesterday morning had passed, and I found myself really looking at him for the first time.

The years had definitely taken a toll on him. However, it wasn't just the suit he wore that made him appear older as it had with Jasper. Edward was more refined, more composed, and he had an air of maturity about him that was definitely not there before. I noted he had finally given up on the hair gel he used to slather in his hair every morning, and he looked taller than I remembered.

Even during the beginning of our sophomore year of college, I still saw him as the 15-year-old I fell in love with. Now, any trace of the teenager seemed to be gone, replaced by an adult who had a career and a grown-up life.

That _was_ the point of my leaving after all. It was about following my dreams, but it was also because we both needed to grow up and find out who we were as people.

And as I looked into the deep green eyes I had known so well, I knew we had both achieved exactly that.

"Hey," he greeted as he stopped a few inches away from me.

I smiled. "Hi."

He looked down at his feet for a moment before glancing back up at me. "Look, I'm really sorry about the way I acted yesterday," he said. "I let my feelings get the better of me, and I shouldn't have."

We were both silent.

"The way I feel shouldn't affect our business relationship," he said. His green eyes met mine, and I had to remind myself to breathe. "It won't happen again."

He waited for me to speak. But what could I say? What did I want to say? I had absolutely no idea, and I found myself saying the first thing that came to mind. "Okay."

I winced as I realized that okay was _not_ the right thing to say in this situation. The side of Edward's mouth pulled into a smirk and one of his eyebrows rose. "Okay?"

"Yeah," I said, finding some confidence within myself as I forced more volume in my voice and tilted my chin up, challenging him to mock me again. "Okay."

He smiled at me and nodded. "Okay."

I moved to press the up button and waited for the elevator to arrive. When it did, I quickly walked inside a few paces in front of Edward. I pressed the button for 15 and I turned to him as he entered the elevator, "Twenty?" He nodded, and I pressed the corresponding button.

I leaned against the back wall as the elevator doors slid closed.

I turned to glance at Edward but snapped my eyes forward again as he turned to look at me. I felt my cheeks and neck flush, and I tried to ignore the sudden fluttering in my stomach.

He cleared his throat loudly and turned to the front again as the elevator began to move.

A tense silence followed, interrupted when the elevator dinged at my designated floor. Before I walked out, I turned to smile and nod at him and was surprised to see him smile politely back at me.

"I'll see you around?" I asked.

He nodded. "I'll see you around."

I kept my gaze on him for one more second before stepping out of the elevator. And as the doors slid shut behind me, I smiled to myself.

Maybe civility wouldn't be too hard to achieve after all.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So a lot of background into Bella. I know you guys will be awaiting the next chapter to get into the confusing head of Edward, and we'll find out a lot about him. He had quite a drastic change from the last chapter to this one, and I hope the next chapter will explain most of your questions about him.**

**Also, as I'm sure you have noticed, my knowledge of interior designs and the goings on in the public relations world is limited to what I find on the internet. I hope you all can forgive me for any nonsense-type things I write pertaining to their jobs. :)**

**Again, thank you so much to everyone who has reviewed/alerted/favorited! You guys are absolutely awesome. Seriously, thank you so much, and I hope you all liked this chapter! **

**As always, thanks to my fantastic prereader EmilyMasen and my magnificent beta AskTheMagic8Ball. I would be lost without the both of you.**

**Thanks again for reading! And Happy Labor Day weekend!**


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